After twenty two years of democracy and 20 years of the Constitution becoming effective; some parts of society in South Africa resort to the use of protests to get their voices heard. It is of concern that these protests are also joined by young people whom the future of this country requires them to be actively involved in equipping themselves with knowledge and skills to be able to engage and be active citizens in the running of the country. A question to be asked is – are these actions a desperate measure to polarise public opinion; are they effective in getting politicians to act?

The Nelson Mandela Foundation has launched an online educational platform dedicated to inspiring responsible civic participation among South African youth by strengthening their political knowledge‚ democratic values and skills.

South Africa’s Bill of Rights enshrines a number of socioeconomic rights. These are crucial for creating a more equal society and include the rights of access to healthcare services, sufficient food and water, social assistance and adequate housing. Their aim is to help everyone lead a dignified life.

According to Wyndham Hartley, it is not a foregone conclusion that the High Court in Pretoria will grant the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and President Jacob Zuma leave to appeal against its decision that the dropping of fraud and corruption charges against the president was irrational and, therefore, needed to be set aside.

Hartley says according the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC), a lobby group, following intense speculation that the NPA would seek to appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision.

As ‘persuasion and appeal have failed’‚ an alliance of civil society‚ church‚ trade union and academic organisations will announce a plan for “the people…to reclaim our hard-won democracy from those who defile it for self-interest.”

They met “in the wake of another vote in Parliament which‚ by voting against impeaching the president‚ dishonoured our Constitution and disappointed millions of people.”

The Constitutional Court judgement on Nkandla (31 March 2016) has been widely hailed as a major victory for democracy itself, as a turning point in South African constitutionalism. But some have said that it is a sad reflection on the state of our democracy if we see this moment as worthy of celebration, when in fact it is simply the Constitutional Court doing its job. However, it is critical to bear in mind that democracy is not an event, but rather a process. Democratic freedoms, in spite of one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, have to be fought for in South Africa.

A full bench of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has reserved judgment in a constitutional challenge by the Free Market Foundation (FMF) to Section 32 of the Labour Relations Act, which it blames for the country’s unemployment rate.

The FMF took Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and 23 bargaining councils to court to have the section of the Act– which compels the labour minister to extend bargaining council agreements across entire industry sectors, subject to representivity conditions - declared unconstitutional.

A full bench of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has reserved judgment in a constitutional challenge by the Free Market Foundation (FMF) to Section 32 of the Labour Relations Act, which it blames for the country’s unemployment rate.

The FMF took Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and 23 bargaining councils to court to have the section of the Act– which compels the labour minister to extend bargaining council agreements across entire industry sectors, subject to representivity conditions - declared unconstitutional.